They see in their little boys something they possibly didn’t see in their own husbands — obedience, perhaps.

I foray into psychological waters only because of a fascinating legal case involving a heist at the PC World store in Kingston, U.K.

It seems that gunmen allegedly marauded in, pointed fake Uzis at the staff, and stole 38,000 British pounds (around $61,000). However, in the midst of their bravado, they started arguing about whether to steal some laptops, too, and ran away separately.

Police managed to track down one of the robbers, Michael Ward, after a few days. He was said by the police to be “not a deep thinker.” Soon, it transpired that he and his accomplice had enjoyed inside help, according to authorities.

It came from 22-year-old Anthony Bradley. He had recruited Ward and another man.

Bradley’s defense was startlingly human, however.

It amounted to: “My mom made me do it.”

Mina Bradley also worked at PC World, a computer superstore chain in the U.K. She was the assistant manager. It was she who had given the robbers vital security details that allowed them to gain access, steal the cash, and frighten the staff.

She insisted that it was nothing to do with her, until she heard that her own son was going to offer testimony that, well, it was all her idea.